Portable, handheld video game systems are popular among people of all ages. Some examples of these systems include Nintendo GameBoy® and Nintendo GameBoy Advance®. With the advent of touch screens, the player can now interact with the game screen using a stylus.
Handheld portable computing systems which use a touch screen and stylus have existed in the past, but these systems have generally been directed at data storage and organization. While basic games have been developed for such systems, games nearing the magnitude and scope of typical portable handheld gaming have generally not been available in the past. People using these stylus controlled systems have generally used them for business and time management, not as video game systems.
Even though stylus based portable devices exist, additional improvements allowing the player to experience the benefits a stylus could provide in a video game system would be beneficial. Needs exist for stylus based control that are as easy to use as joystick control of a digital object in a virtual gamespace.
The exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementations herein provide methods and apparatus for controlling movement of a digital object displayed on a screen. The digital object may be any digital object such as for example a game character. A player wishing to move the digital object can use a stylus or other touch to indicate a first point on the screen. For the object to be selected, the point indicated by the player may be within a selection area specified for selecting the digital object for movement. To move the object, the player moves the touch to a second point on the screen, thereby providing a stroke. The digital object then moves based on the direction of the stroke.
When the player first touches the stylus to the screen, the system analyzes the touch and divides the screen into multiple zones around the first point indicated by the player. Movement of the stylus to a second point within one of these zones causes the digital object to perform a predetermined action. Each zone has a predetermined action associated with it. For example, a rightmost zone may have a rightwards movement associated with it, a leftmost zone may have a leftwards movement associated with it, and the like.
Exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementations allow a player to manipulate a game object in a flexible fashion. The player feels as if he is directly manipulating the game object and so has a close connection to the game experience.